[ozyx]

Yes, I know one is an over-ear and the other one an IEM, but if I could buy only one which one should it be?
 
Assuming I can find the Sony MDR-1A for €99 and the 1More for €89, which of the two will give me the best sound for that amount of money when driven by a mobile device?
 
Also what about comfort? I know that the MDR-1A is very comfortable for an over-ear, but would the 1More be better since it wouldn't make my ears hot? (I have very little experience with IEMs)
 
Isolation is not an issue since I will be using them mostly around the house.

 

[kimvictor]

I generally prefer headphones for use at home. What kind of sound do you prefer? 1More triple driver has a strong V shaped sound while the 1A has a less strong of a V shape. Both has boosted bass.

 

[serman005]

I also tend to prefer headphones in my home in preference to IEMs. Not always, but most of the time. I tend to wear my in-ears when  I am out and about.

 

[ozyx]

I haven't tried that many headphones to be certain what I like and what I don't, but I believe I like a relatively balanced sound with a bit boosted bass, but not so much that drowns other parts of the spectrum. Also I like the vocals to be heard clearly (is that mids or highs?) but I don't like harsh piercing sound. So something clear but smooth, I don't know if those terms are contradictory. 
 
Why do you prefer to listen to headphones at home? Maybe it is because you can drive them with better equipment (I will be using a mobile device either way) or maybe you just have better headphones? Or is it that headphones are better than IEMs when at about the same price range?

 

[kimvictor]

  I haven't tried that many headphones to be certain what I like and what I don't, but I believe I like a relatively balanced sound with a bit boosted bass, but not so much that drowns other parts of the spectrum. Also I like the vocals to be heard clearly (is that mids or highs?) but I don't like harsh piercing sound. So something clear but smooth, I don't know if those terms are contradictory. 
 
Why do you prefer to listen to headphones at home? Maybe it is because you can drive them with better equipment (I will be using a mobile device either way) or maybe you just have better headphones? Or is it that headphones are better than IEMs when at about the same price range?

I personally found the 1More's hybrid a bit shrill at the upper frequency. If you're don't think you can handle a bit of harshness, the Sonys might be the better option.
 
I prefer to listening to headphones at home because: they tend to be more comfortable in the long run and because I am yet to find a pair of IEMs that sounds better than the HD800.

 

[Alekso93]

Over ear headphones almost always beat in ear when it comes to sound quality at similar price tags

 

[serman005]

  I haven't tried that many headphones to be certain what I like and what I don't, but I believe I like a relatively balanced sound with a bit boosted bass, but not so much that drowns other parts of the spectrum. Also I like the vocals to be heard clearly (is that mids or highs?) but I don't like harsh piercing sound. So something clear but smooth, I don't know if those terms are contradictory. 
 
Why do you prefer to listen to headphones at home? Maybe it is because you can drive them with better equipment (I will be using a mobile device either way) or maybe you just have better headphones? Or is it that headphones are better than IEMs when at about the same price range?

If you are looking at over-ears as opposed to in-ears, I would suggest to you a couple more in the price range of the MDR1A. One would be the very good AKG K550. Another would be the SoundMAGIC HP150. Both are relatively balanced with good bass (slightly more emphasized on the SoundMAGIC). I personally believe that either one of these will best the Sony. That's just me. Others may disagree. I really like both the AKG and the HP150. One other for you to consider is the Samson Z55. It is very good. Some things for you to read about.

 

[buke9]

I personally found the 1More's hybrid a bit shrill at the upper frequency. If you're don't think you can handle a bit of harshness, the Sonys might be the better option.

I prefer to listening to headphones at home because: they tend to be more comfortable in the long run and because I am yet to find a pair of IEMs that sounds better than the HD800.

The 1More Triple Drivers are not V Shaped at all. They have a very smooth top end to them and the bass is not exaggerated at all to me. The IEM I would pick over the 800's is Empire Ears Zeus can't wait for CanJam SoCal to hear the Adel version and yes they cost over twice as much as the 800's but they are oh so good.

 

[ozyx]

  Over ear headphones almost always beat in ear when it comes to sound quality at similar price tags

I believe I read the opposite somewhere in these forums, i.e. that you can get better value from IEMs at lower prices.
 
Also, again somewhere in the forum, I found a link to consumer reports ratings:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1140/4626/files/ConsumerReportsStereoheadphoneRatingsMay22016.pdf?4378159383256076367
 
It gives to 1More the same score as it gives to Oppo PM­3. Unless their scoring system is different among categories.

 

[Slashfury99]

Where sound quality is concerned, I have found more IEMs that I preferred over headphones at the lower price ranges. I have also tried more IEMs for around $50-$200 than I have headphones for the same prices. It may be that manufacturers nowadays are aiming towards consumers who mainly prefer portable audio, and are working towards providing options for that market instead. I mean, it is more often to see someone having IEMs plugged into their ears on the streets than someone wearing a pair of headphones on their head. At least at where I live.

 

[buke9]

I believe I read the opposite somewhere in these forums, i.e. that you can get better value from IEMs at lower prices.

Also, again somewhere in the forum, I found a link to consumer reports ratings:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1140/4626/files/ConsumerReportsStereoheadphoneRatingsMay22016.pdf?4378159383256076367

It gives to 1More the same score as it gives to Oppo PM­3. Unless their scoring system is different among categories.

I can say as a owner of the Triple Drivers I don't think they are as good as the PM3's that I have only heard once it was a year ago so I could be a little off. That's comparing $80 earphone's versus a $399 headphone I love my 1 Mores but I don't think they can compete with the Oppo's to be honest. Not sure about the scoring on that site as I have never seen it as it can be adjusted by type and cost don't know. The 1More Triple Driver is a very good earphone for the money but I don't think it is that big of a giant killer.

 

[ozyx]

Is there anybody who has tried both the 1More Triple Driver and the MDR-1A to give a direct comparison in terms of sound quality?

 

[kimvictor]

The 1More Triple Drivers are not V Shaped at all. They have a very smooth top end to them and the bass is not exaggerated at all to me. The IEM I would pick over the 800's is Empire Ears Zeus can't wait for CanJam SoCal to hear the Adel version and yes they cost over twice as much as the 800's but they are oh so good.

the I could maybe see the argument that the top is relatively smooth, but there is no way you can argue that the bass isn't exaggerated.
 
https://www.seeko.co.kr/zboard4/zboard.php?id=m_phones&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=136
Look at the diffuse field compensated graph. The bass is boosted by 10-15dB. If you don't consider that bass exaggerated, I don't know what IEM you would. The bass boost in on par with most V shaped hybrid IEMs. The treble, on the other hand, seems relatively smooth, although the peak around 8.5k seems problematic(the peak frequency is a bit low).
 
That being said, I don't find the 1More IEM to be bad. I think it offers great value to those wanting to try hybrid IEMs. But if you're looking for "relatively balanced" sound and can't handle a bit of shrill, I would stay away from them.
 
Do you find the Zeus to be as organic and wide sounding as the HD800? I've found that even the best CIEMs come short when it comes to portraying a natural, wide sound. Even my UERM sounds constrained compared to my HD800. I'm almost convinced that it's a physical difference that IEMs cannot overcome.

 

[Sardo]

A mobile device will drive both the MDR-1A and the 1More just fine. The MDR-1A may have an higher impedance, but they are more sensitive. In fact, I think the MDR-1A will require less power to drive than the 1More.
 
I never tried the 1More, so I can only talk about the MDR-1A. They are indeed confortable and I didn't felt my hears getting warmer while using them, so don't worry about that. I actually found them to be "fresh" for an over ear. Regarding the sound, I found it fun, but I would prefer a more tighten bass. Overall I think they offer a good sound quality/comfort ratio for 99€.
 
Nevertheless, I prefer the sound of my Sennheiser CX 95 (100€ IEMs that I bought 9 years ago) to the sound signature of the MDR-1A. In fact, generally speaking, I prefer the sound of under 100€ IEMs to the sound of under 100€ over ear headphones. However, I would prefer a MDR-1A to my CX 95 for home use. I use headphones for several hours straigh and while my over ear headphones give me a "comfy" feeling while working on my computer, my IEMs seem to annoy me every now and then. However, I don't like to use anything else than IEMs outside home or while moving and I never felt them to be unconfortable at all. 
 
In other words, if it is only to use at home, I would not go for a IEM. If you want something fresh with good sound quality, probably the Grado SR80 and the Audio Technica M40x would be models to consider. The SoundMAGIC HP150 @serman005 suggested is also a very interesting model, but I think it's going to be hard to find them below 150€.
 
If you want something versatile, with good sound quality and yet confortable, the IEM will not be a bad choice.